Caterer’s perseverance pays off with opening of full-service eatery

A child who grew up in the food business, Allie Tylski may be better equipped than most first-time restaurant owners for that industry’s challenges.

That’s why she has taken her sweet time opening Sweet Allie B’s, which will be located next door to her 2-year-old catering operation of the same name at 707 N. Waco.

Rather than sign for a big loan, Tylski plowed profits from catering into the restaurant, which is expected to open next month.

“We wanted to get one foot on the ground and be in as good as shape as possible,” she said.

“Hard work has paid off for us,” added Tyson Tompkins, her partner.

It’s also why the couple is happy in a spot that doesn’t come with Old Town-size rents. Instead, they’re situated between downtown and their own home in Riverside, a location they think diners will find as convenient as they do.

“We like this Midtown-Riverside location a lot,” Tylski said. “Old Town isn’t where everything needs to be.”

The couple’s catering operation takes up about 1,000 square feet. They’ve transformed 1,500 square feet of former office space next door into a handsome space of high ceilings and painted brick walls.

There’s room for 75 to 100 customers, including a private conference room that holds 20 people. They’ve put in a small bar and obtained a full liquor license. The entrance will be around back, where there’s plenty of parking away from a liquor store in the same strip center.

In keeping with their slow-but-steady approach, they’re opening for weekday lunch only initially, with dinner service to come later. They plan to serve much of the same fare offered through their catering business – sandwiches, salads and soups – along with daily specials such as chicken pot pie.

Both are huge fans of the food in New Orleans, so expect po’ boys and gumbo to grace the menu as well.

“I’d like to be able to add new things and change them out on a seasonal rotation,” Tylski said.

Tylski is the daughter of Jody Briceland, who owned and worked in several catering operations and also ran a restaurant, Wild Thyme, in Maize. “I used to be able to go with my mom in the summer” on catering jobs, Tylski said. As she got older, she worked for her mother and also managed Harry’s Uptown Bar. She has a business management degree from Wichita State University.

Her business’ name comes partly from her signature sweet potato biscuits, although it seems a pretty good description of her demeanor as well.

When her mother left the catering business for a job with Rolling Hills Country Club, she offered Tylski a job there, too.

“I said, ‘Mom, I love you but this is my time to spread my wings and go out on my own,’” Tylski said.

Instead, she bought out her mother’s equipment, inherited a sizable list of clients and kept the family business alive.

“A lot of the food we’ve done since I was a little girl,” she said. “They’re all family recipes.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Caterer’s perseverance pays off with opening of full-service eatery."